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10 stages of exam stress - Exam Survival Guide

We all know what stress feels like. Whether it’s from work… home… even choosing something at a restaurant can be stressful if the menu’s too big! One thing that we never forget the stress of, though, is exams.

From the first page of revision notes to the last scrawled sentence of the last paper – we can get to a level of tenseness that is almost too much, and throughout the rest of our lives we never fully understand how we survived it! Here are some of the stages of stress you may well experience throughout the exam period…

1) Smugness.

You've got this.

Your plan is laid out on a huge white board/A3 piece of paper, pinned on the wall, colour coded and highlighted.

It looks so beautiful you could tweet a picture of it, #winning.

That's the first bit of hard graft done, you should sit back and admire your work.

2) Dedication.

You start working really hard... for a while...

3) The first break.

...So hard in fact, you deserve a break.

Just a ten minute one - your schedule says you're not owed one yet but it won't matter just this once.

Just a little one.

4) Realisation.

You make the vital mistake of talking to your friends.

Maybe they're at stage one - gloating about their highlighted detailed plan of attack.

They could be at stage 5. Panic… or worse! Either way it throws you into an oblivion of fear that you just will not be ready in time.

5) Panic.

It hits you just how little time you really have.

Suddenly all those 'little' breaks seem to have added up.

The 'just one more episode' excuse to reward yourself for that last mock exam question you got right has somehow culminated the entire box set.

6) Helplessness

You may as well give up.

There is no hope - you'll never catch up now.

7) Cramming

Reluctantly you cram.

And cram.

Sob a little.

And cram.

8) Mass hysteria.

But then exam day comes and it turns out everyone is going through the same thing.

For a moment you consider running...

9) Defeat.

They're calling you into the exam hall - there's nothing more you can do now...

10) Relief.

It's over.

You have no idea where the last few hours went or what you spieled out on the page - it's done.